The Lahu are a strong independent ethnic group who constitute about 25% of sub-district Mae Yao. Their settlements are usually remote from roads and towns, due to their strong commitment to the maintenance of the Lahu way of life.

The Lahu are complex and diverse ethnicity. In Thailand there are no fewer than six different Lahu tribes, some of whose languages are not mutually intelligible. The majority of Lahus in Mae Yao are Red Lahu, pantheistic animists who follow a Dtobo, a messianic leader. There are also a significant number of Black, Yellow and Shehleh Lahus in Thailand, many of whom have been Christian for nearly one hundred years. Black Lahu are the most populous overall and theirs is considered to be the standard Lahu dialect. The woman pictured to the left is a Laba Lahu, closely related to Red Lahu, of which there are only two villages in Thailand. She is also the daughter of the Dtobo of her village.

Although primarily subsistence farmers, growing rice and corn for their own consumption, the Lahu are also proud of their hunter-warrior heritage. They remain a strict, serious people governed by strong principles of right and wrong, every individual in the village answering to the common will of the elders. Eighty percent Lahu people in Mae Yao have retained their traditional spiritual beliefs, with the other 20% having converted to Christianity. While less importance is placed on the extended family than in other hill tribe communities, the Lahu are still strongly committed to principles of unity and working together for survival. Lahus may have the most gender-equitable society in the world.

Lahus make striking shirts and bags. You can view them at www.ebannok.com. For more information on Lahu people click here.